Speed-changing mechanism for glass sheets



'sept 17', 1929.

E. GENTl L ET AL SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM FOR GLASS SHEETS Filed June 25. 1928 1 w H m 1 MM 4T h m W 2 $fi AP v W Sept. 17, 1929. GENT"; ET AL 1,728,538 I SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM FOR GLASS SHEETS I Filed June 25. 1928 2.Sheets-'-Sheet 2 AND ElljCIZ Q GZmZiZ I fierra LOLLLS Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EUGENE GE'N'II' F PARIS, AND PIERRE LOUIS AIME MATHE, or MEUIDON, FRANCE,

AssIGNoRs TO THE AMERICAN E'IcIIE oUx COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01* DELA- WARE SPEED-CHANGING MECHANISM FOR GLASS SHEETS Application filed June 25, 1928. Serial No. 288,215.

In a prior application filed by Gentil, one of the present applicants, on the 30th day of December, 1927 and Serially Numbered 343,655, is disclosed a speed changing mechanism for glass sheets specifically designed to receive the sheets from an intermittent forming machine in which-they are fabricated at high linear speed, and to deliver them to a lehr conveyer moving at slower speed, this i0 being accomplished by interposing in the path of movement of the sheet alternately arranged high speed and low speed rollers, the high speed rollers being adapted to be alternately raised and lowered, whereby the sheet delivcred from the forming machine is received on the high speed rolls, and such rolls are then lowered to deposit it upon the low speed rolls, I

which corresponds to the speed at which the which feed it onto a lehr conveyor.

In the present application an arrangement" is shown for effecting in a simple manner the alternate raising and falling of thehighand low speed rolls to effect the transfer of the sheets from the former to the latter, and for cont-rolling such movements of them; Referringto the accompanying drawings in which corresponding parts are designatedby similar marks of reference,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic layout of a mechanism embodying our invention;

to Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly broken I away of a single group of rollers Figure 3 is a half section on line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure is a halfsection on line 44 of Figure 2.

y ,In these drawings our inventionis shownassociated w th rollers 1, which may be some 5 or all of the fcedrolls of a lehr conveyer, contained in a properly heated housing 2. It is therollers 10f the lehr, but may also enclose all or some of the speed changing rollers hereinafter described. It will bevfurther obvious that-so far as it concerns theuses of our invention the particular: character of the lehr conveyer is immaterial.

As shown a suitable frame 3 is located on each side of the line of feed and on the outside of the lehr structure and carries, at its top, bearings 4, for a plurality of shafts- 5.

obvious that the housing may notonl'y encloseby a coupling member 13. One of the arms Inasmuch as the several shafts 5 and associated parts are similar, the construction of only a single shaft and its associated parts will be described. Referring to Figure 2 it will 'be seen that the shaft 5 has keyed on each of its ends, outside of the bearings 4', a three-armed member 6, two of the arms (3 and 6" of the frame extending upwardly at an angle from each other and the other arm 6 extending downwardly. Each shaft and the two members 6 carried thereon thus forms a rockerframe. The arms (B -on each shaft support a roller 7, while the arms 6" support a roller 7*, the roller 7 being the slow speed roller, the peripheral speed of which corresponds-mp5 the speed of the lehr conveyor, and the roller 7 being a high speed roller, the speed of sheet is received, this being preferably the speed of sheet formation. Each roller 7 or 7 has faston one of its ends a pinion 8 or 8, the pinion being on one end of the roller 7 and on the opposite end of the associated roller 7". The pinions 8* or 8 each mesh with a crown gear 9 or 9 sleeved on the corresponding end of the shaft 5 and fast to each crown gear 'isa bevel gear 10 or 10 respectively, respectively driven in turn by beveled gears 11 or 11 mounted on shafts 12 or 12 extending alongithe outsides of the opposite frames 3. v

The arrangement is such that the shaft 12 which imparts motion to the low speed roller forming machine or is interconnected therewith; v I v c I I Two units such'as described arepreferably. associated in a group and the downwardly projecting arm 6 of these units are connected 6 ofeach group has a pivotal connection to a piston'rod 14 having a pistonhead 14" thereon working in a cylinder 14 The admission of compressed air and the escape of air from the opposite sides of the piston head 10( mounted in bed frame.

It will be seen that due to the structure;

above described each roll 7 or 7 will be constantly driven'by its associated shaft 12? or 12 at a constant speed (except in so far as this may be modified by planetary motion .of the rolleritself around the shaft 5) and that by proper actuation of the valve 15 either roller may be raised above the other, the arrangement being such that when "a roller is raised it is substantially on the level with the high speed conveyer (shown in'the form of" rolls 17 by which the glass is delivered at the is below such'leve'l. The extent of throwof the forked members 6.and thus the line of the upper positions of the. rollers, is controlled. and adjustedby means of stop screws'28, projections from the side of the T Inasmuch as the sheet to be handled may be, and preferably is,'o f considerable length,

employed, and on Figure 1, we have shown a number of 'associatedgroups although it will be understood that what is there represented are only certain initial and terminal rolls of a mechanism embodying this invention.

Obviously allof the rollers of the assembled groups comprising the speed change mechanism may be actuated simultaneously, all the the speed changing rollers:

To accomplish the simultaneous lowering high speed rollers being raised while all thelow speed rollers are being lowered, but if such is the case the sheets passing through the lehr will be separated by a distance equal to.

The high speed circuits 19 19 of the elements beyond the main contact maker 20 are the length of the speed change mechanisms,

and thus lehrspace will be Wasted. In order to avoid this and to provide for an automatic 'raisingand lowering of the rollers, we prefer to embody 1n our construction a control for therolls in which,'while all the high speed .rollers are simultaneously lowered, the high the apparatus is conditioned to receive a sec- 0nd sheet of glass at speed'of sheet formation before the first sheet has entirely passed over of all the high speed rollers 7 andthe simul- .taneous raising ofall the lowspeed rollers 7 the several low speed magnets 16 are included in, branches of an electric circuit 18 which also includes a main contact maker 20 mount ed above the path of the advancing sheets near the exitend of the speed change mechanism and adapted when raised by the head of the advancing sheet to make such circuit and thus energize the low speed magnets to shift the valves 15 to raise the low speed rollers, provided that the circuits of the high speed magnets. have been broken.

The sheet is now advanced at low speed- 'on'to the rollers 1 and whenithe tail of the change mechanism in advance of the contact maker 20,-and to be made by a similar contact qmaker when the tail of the sheet has been adspeed of sheet formation) and when lowered sooner for the reception of a fresh sheet, we

prefer to arrange the controls for such movements insection. -An example of this sectional arrangement is shown in the drawing in which the low speed branches 18, 18 for the rollers of the initial sections, have each included therein an individual contact each of which completes its corresponding circuit when a sheet 18 over such section, and which at the same time opens the branches 19, 19 in which the high speed and-19 of'the high speed magnets 16 of this section are each broken by contact levers 21% 213215 and 21 when a sheet of glass is over the rollers corresponding to such magnets,

also broken by the presence of a sheet beneath such contact maker.

'-With-a construction such asshown and with the parts in the position shown in Figure Lin-which there, is no glass on the speed change mechanism,.all contact makers will be down and all of the low speed branches l8 will be broken at'the'contact makers 21, 21 f Hence all the high speed rollers will be up.

Upon a sheet of glass enteringthe mechanism it will.-successively-lift the contact makers 21',-

2-1", 21 and 21?. The lifting ofthe first three 1 will not energize the corresponding low speed magnets, although closing the branches "18F,

18 and-18 because the main low speed ci rs' cuit will be still broken atcontactimakerQO.

and hence although the high speed branches 19, 19", 19 and 19" will be broken, the valves 15 will not be shifted. However, as soon as the head of the sheet enters beneath the contact maker 20 the main low speed circuit 18 will be completed and. all its branches energized, causing all of the rollers to shift position, so that the glass will now be supported on the low speed rollers by which it will be fed towards the lehr rollers 1. The lifting of the contact maker 20 also breaks the high speed circuits 19 and l9 of the terminal sections, so that the valves of these will also be actuated by a subsequent closing'of the main low speed circuit.

As the sheet is slowly fed at lehring speed its tail will successively pass beyond the initial sections, and will permit the successive dropping of contacts 21 and 21, thereby breaking the low speed branches of these sections and completing the high speed branches so that the rollers of these sections are raised into position to receive a fresh sheet fed at lehring speed. As the tail of the sheet then passes under contact maker 21 (which should be at a distance. from the main contact maker 20 less than the length of the sheet to be treated) the dropping of that contact maker breaks the low speed branches of all of the remaining groups of rollers and completes the high speed branch 19 of that particular section of rollers, which are thus-shifted to high speed position.

When the tail of the sheet has passed under 2? and has completed the high speed branch of the last of the rollers in advance of the main contact maker these rollers return to high speed position.

When the advancing of the glass has moved its tail from under the main contact maker 20 the latter falls, completing the main circuit for the low speed magnets, the branches of which for the initial sections will have been broken by the individual contact makers, ir advance of the main contact maker unless a new sheet of glass by advancing has lifted them, and will close the main high speed circuit of the groups of rollers beyond the main mechanism.

,While we have described in detail a particular circuit arrangement which We have found useful it Will be understood that we do not limit our invention to such particular circuit arrangement, as it is obvious that the rollers may be differently sectionalized.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a speed changing apparatus for glass sheets, the combination of two rollers mounted to rock around a common center to raise and lower the same reversely, a separate drive for each roller whereby the rollers are driven at different speeds, the said drives being transmitted to the rollers through the common' center around which they rock, and means for rocking the rollers around such center.

2. In a speed changing apparatus for glass sheets, the combination of a rocking frame, a plurality of drive wheels mounted to turn about the rocking center of the frame, a plurality of rollers carried by the frame and each engaging one of the wheels, means for separately driving the wheels and means for rocking the frame.

3. In a speed changing apparatus for glass sheets, the combination of a rocking frame including a shaft having arms on the ends thereof, rollers mounted in the arms, a wheel mounted on each end of the shaft, awheel mounted on each roller, the wheels on the rollers engaging the wheels on the opposite ends of the shaft, separate drives for the wheels on the opposite ends of the shaft and means for rocking the frame. I

4:. In a speed changing device for glass sheets, the combination of a plurality of sections each having a high speed and a low speed condition, means actuated by the presence of a glass sheet for simultaneously putting such sections into a low speed condition, and means actuated by the passage of a sheet from over an individual section for putting such section into a high speed condition.

5. In a speed changing device for glass sheets. the combination with alternate high and low speed rollers, means for simultaneously and reversely raising and lowering said rollers, a control for simultaneously lowering all of the high speed rollers by the presence of a sheet over them and means for progressively and separately raising high speed rollers by'the passage of a sheet from over each of such rollers. v

6. In a speed changing device for glass sheets, the combination of a plurality of sections, each having a high speed and a low speed condition, a high speed and a low speed magnet for each of such sections, a control actuated by-the presence of a sheet near the exit end of the assembly of the several sections for energizing the low'speedmagnets of the several sections and a control actuated by the passage of a sheet from over therollthe high speedmagnet of such-section. 7, In a speed changing device for glass ers of the individual section for energizing sheets the combination with a plurality of sections, each having a high speed and a low speed condition, a high speed and a low speed mechanism for each of such sections, a control actuated by the presence of a sheet near the exit end of the assembly of the several sections tending to energize the loW speed magnet of the several sections, and a control I actuated by the passage of a sheet from over the rollers of. the individual sections for energizing the high speed magnet of each of such sections and tending to deenergize .the

' low speed magnet of such section.

8. In a speed changing device for 1 glass sheets, the combination of a plurality of sections, each having a high speedand a low speed condition, ahigh speed and a low speed magnet for eachsection, circuits for controlling allof thelow speed magnets including a contact made by the presence of a sheet near .the end of the assembly of the sections and the endof the assembly of the sections hav-.

ing branches forcontrolling the several low speed magnets by the absence of a sheet over the individual sections corresponding to the said several magnets, circuits for controlling the several high speed magnets of the sections in advance of the main contact energize'd'by the passage of the sheet over the individual sections for successively shifting such individual sections to the high speed condition.

In testimony whereof We hereunto afiix our signatures.

EUGENE GENTIL. PIERRELOUIS AlME MATHE.

theabsence of a sheet over the individual sec tions in advance of the main contact, and a V circuit for controllingthe high speed magnet of a section in the rear of the maincontact deenergized by the simultaneous presence of a sheet at the'main contact maker and over such last named sectionf 10. In a speed changing device for sheets, the combination of a plurality 0 sections each-having a high speed and a low lass - speed condition, means for simultaneously shifting the said sections to a low speed condition and'means actuated by the passage of the sheet from over the individual sections for shifting such individual sections to the high speed condition.

11. In a speed changing device for glass sheets, the combination With high speed and low speed rollers, of a speed changing device interposed between the said two series of rollers, thespeed changing device consisting of a plurality of sections each having a high speed and a low speed condition, means for simultaneously shifting the said sections to a. 4 l w pee conditi n and m an actu y 

